Zinedine Zidane

Zinedine Zidane (born 23-06-1972) is a soccer coach who manages Real Madrid Club de Fútbol in Spain's La Liga Santander first division. Born in Marseille, France, he was a former footballer of recognized standing. Of Algerian descent, Zidane is the youngest of five siblings in the Zidane family: Farid (deceased), Lila, Djamel and Nourredine. His father, Smaïl, emigrated to Marseille in the 1960s, where he met his wife Malika. Zinedine started playing soccer in the troubled neighborhood of La Castellane. In addition, along with his brother Farid who passed away in 2019 due to cancer, he practiced judo in his youth; although he eventually opted for soccer to become one of the best in history.

Youth and first steps in soccer

The Zidane family was supported by his father's salary, who worked in a supermarket. Zinedine was an admirer of Olympique Marseille's Uruguayan footballer Enzo Francescolli - one of the reasons why one of his sons has that name. At the age of fourteen, he went to Cannes, where he lived in the house of Jean Claude Elineau, one of the club's directors. It was there that he began his career as a professional footballer, making his debut for the Cannes first team at the age of sixteen(May 1989), a month shy of his seventeenth birthday. It took just two years for Zidane to establish himself in the starting line-up with the French side, where he would express his qualities on the pitch and put aside his shyness off it.

In 1992, he moved to Bordeaux, where he established himself as one of the best French midfielders of the moment in one of the most important clubs in the country. Two years later, he would make his debut for France against the Czech Republic, and Zidane's legacy was beginning to take shape. A good performance at Euro 1996 with the French national team led him to be signed by one of the most prestigious teams in Europe, Italy's Juventus in 1996.

A momentous step in his career

This was the best possible showcase for Zidane, who played in the 1998 European Cup final against his future club, Real Madrid. A year earlier they had played against Ottmar Hitzfield's Borussia Dortmund, and both finals ended in defeat. Despite this, his stay in Italy was more than satisfactory, winning two Scudettos (1997, 1998), a European Super Cup (1996) and an Intercontinental Cup (1996). Juventus' slump in form went hand in hand with Zizou's,although an excellent performance with France, again, at the 1998 World Cup in which they were crowned champions reaffirmed the idea that Zidane was one of the best players of the moment.

 

One more galactico at Real Madrid

With the turn of the millennium, changes were on the horizon at Real Madrid headquarters. Florentino Perez became President of the club after promising to sign Luis Figo, a player who belonged to Futbol Club Barcelona. With him came a series of signings in the years to come that made up one of the most exuberant squads in the history of soccer, the so-called "Madrid of the galacticos" era. Zinedine Zidane was the second of the signings that would make up this star-studded squad with a nickname that they themselves did not like. Then came Ronaldo Nazario and David Bechkam, reaffirming FIFA's idea that Real Madrid had been the "best club of the 20th century".

Protagonist of one of the best goals in history

There, Zinedine Zidane would form a close relationship with Florentino Perez, who has shown from the beginning his admiration for the Frenchman. He was leaving Juventus for five years, in which the achievement of a Champions League would have been the culmination of a great five years in Italy. In his first season he managed to win the title after beating Bayer Leverkusen at Hampden Park, where he scored one of the best goals in the history of soccer. It was after a pass from Roberto Carlos, who arrived in a hurry to the back line to the long pass sent to him by Solari. Zidane was on the edge of the area, seemingly in no danger. The Brazilian hit the ball, which traced a downward parabola, finding the left boot of the Frenchman, who, after resting his right leg on the ball, shaped his body to draw a perfect line in which the ball crashed into the net in the form of a volley. This goal was the second and final goal of the match, after Raúl's first and the Germans' equalizer. In this way, Real Madrid became the winner of the ninthChampions League. It would take twelve years to win the 'tenth', this time with Zidane on the bench as Ancelotti's second in command.

Decline and retirement

After winning the Champions League in the 2001-2002 season, Real Madrid won La Liga the following year, as well as the Spanish Super Cup, the Intercontinental Cup and the European Super Cup. Then came years of drought in which the squad was being questioned. Vicente del Bosque left the club with controversy and Real Madrid began a period of reconstruction, where the great stars that had shone at Chamartín ended up leaving. Thus, the former player from Marseille hung up his boots at the age of thirty-four.

Career with the French national team

Zinedine Zidane made his debut with the French national team in 1994, at the age of 22, when he was still playing in France for Girondins de Bordeaux. He wore the blue jersey of France one hundred and eight times, scoring thirty-one goals. He played in three European Championships (winning in 2000) andthree World Cups (winning France 98'). His last professional match was in the final of the 2006 World Cup in Germany, against Italy. It was not the best possible farewell to the field of play for Zinedine, as he was sent off the pitch after headbutting Materazzi in the chest. In addition, the Italians snatched the World Cup title from them.

Coaching career

After his retirement as a professional footballer Zinedine Zidane was assistant to Carlo Ancelotti in the 2013/2014 season, the year in which the 'tenth' was achieved. This was followed by two years as a coach in the reserve team, at Real Madrid Castilla, where he was not so fortunate and failed to promote them to the second division. In January 2016 he became Rafa Benítez's replacement. A few months were enough for him to win his first title as coach, achieving nothing more and nothing less than the UEFA Champions League against Atlético de Madrid in Milan. He thus became one of the personalities who has managed to win the Champions League as a player and as a coach. One League, two Spanish Super Cups, two Club World Cups, two European Super Cups and three European Cups. This is the greatest feat he has achieved as a coach, as he has become the first coach in history to win Europe's premier competition at least twice in a row, doing so three times. One of them was against Juventus, and the last one against Liverpool.

Family life

Zinedine Zidane is married to Véronique Zidane, with whom he has four children. All of them are dedicated to soccer, as his father did several years before.

Biography byJorge Cascón Guerra